Review Blog

Jan 08 2014

Two boys kissing by David Levithan

Text Publishing 2013. ISBN 9781922147486.
As always, I can only speak subjectively and for myself. I
understand and acknowledge that certain people will not only
understand but identify with this book, and I happen
to be one of those people.
A voice begins and ends this extraordinary novel - the voice of
experience, the voice of those who have lived and died. The book is
narrated by the chorus of a gay community past, victims of the AIDS
virus. Two boys kissing is a lurid and obvious title for so nuanced
and complex a work. It comprises of very contemporary and very
relevant stories about young gay men, detailing their relationships,
social lives and pressures.
If nothing, this is a profoundly accessible insight into modern gay
culture, but it is so much more. Another thing to note is how
curiously devoid of camp humour the novel is. The themes are
normalized and the characters remain beautifully, painfully human, a
welcome change from the often gaudy glamourization of same-sex
attracted characters.
The stark, nostalgic reminiscences from an anguished mass grave is a
bold choice, and there is a poignant balance between the regret of
the dead and celebration of love, a distinguished, discriminated,
powerful love.Two boys kissing is about much more than just two boys
kissing. It is a triumphant ode to the fighters who continue to
fight, a eulogy to a historic fatality. A celebration of boys who
kiss and have kissed boys, both furiously alive and long gone.
Henry Vaughan (Student)